Sewing-machine ruffling attachment.



C. STAFFORD. SEWING MACHINE RUFFLING ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-2. 1913.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES STAFFORD, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SEWING-MACEINE RUFFLING ATTACHMENT.

Application filed December 2, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES STAFFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machine Ruiliing Attachments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has for its object to provide simple and effective means for varying the frequency of action of the ruflling blade upon the work relatively to the movements of the ruffier-operating means. In its preferred form the ruflier comprises a swinging lever to which the rufliing blade is connected and provided with a shoulder adapted for normal engagement by a reciprocating pawl connected with the operating lever and whose path of movement relative to said shoulder is controlled by a rotary shieldmember provided with an interrupted annular operative portion serving as a rest for the pawl, the shield-member being adapted to be shifted axially to change its operative relation with the pawl and thereby vary the latters frequency of action upon said shoulder. The operative portion of the shield-member may be formed with peripheral notches of different depths in axial direction, so that in different axial positions of the shield-member different numbers of notches may be presented for entrance of a part of the pawl or an element connected therewith so as to produce different periods of inactivity of the pawl upon the shoulder of said swinging lever in different operative relations of the shield-member to the pawl or consecutive actions of the pawl when the shield-member is wholly retracted therefrom.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are elevations, taken from opposite sides, of a ruffling attachment embodying the present improvements, and Fig. 3 a plan of the same. Fig. 4: is an end elevation, upon an enlarged scale, of a portion of the attachment showing certain parts in transverse section at the axis of the pawl-shield. Fig. 5 represents separately in perspective the shouldered swinging lever, the pawl and the means for controlling the frequency of its engagement with said lever. Fig. 6 is an Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

Serial No. 804,149.

outer face view of the pawl-shield. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail perspective views representing modifications of the pawl-shield.

In general construction and operation, the rufiling' device in which the present improvement is embodied is similar to that of my pending application Serial No. 782,201, filed July 31, 1918. The frame comprises the vertical plate 1 formed at the base with a lateral foot member 2 having the laterally socketed shank 3 for attachment to a sewing machine presser-bar. The frame member 1 sustains the fulcrum-pin 4 embraced by an apertured end of the operating lever 5 having at its opposite end the fork 6 adapted to embrace the needle-clamp stud 1of a reciprocating sewing machine needle- Jar.

The operating lever carries intermediate its ends the screw-stud 7 upon which is journaled the apertured boss of the actuatmg pawl 8 pressed normally in the direction of the fulcrum-stud 4 by means of the U-shaped spring 9 having one arm secured to the extension 10 of the operating lever by the screw. 11 and its other arm resting upon the heel of said pawl. The shank of the pawl 8 normally rests against the transverse stop-pin 12 of the operating lever 5.

Fulcrumed upon the pin 4 is the swinging lever 13 whose hub is provided with the shoulder 14L for engagement with the operative extremity of the pawl S. This lever is provided intermediate its ends with the laterally offset segmental arm 15 and is pivotally connected at its lower end by means of the pin or rivet 16 with the arm 17 of the ruffling-blade carrier which is provided with a lateral blade-supporting member 18 to which is secured by usual or suitable means the ruffling blade 19. The arm 17 is slidingly sustained by the guide-loop 20 having a foot 21 secured to the side of the frame-plate 1 by means of the rivet 22.

The ruffling blade derives operative or rufile-producing movements from the operating lever through the engagement of the actuating pawl with the shoulder 14: of the swinging lever 13 which latter is retracted in a manner well known by engagement of the extremity of its arm 15 with the point of the screw 23 journaled in a threaded socket 24 formed between the operating lever extension 10 and the overlapping arm thereof 10. The free movement of the lever 13 is resisted by the spring frictionwasher 25 interposed between the same and the lever 5.

Pivotally attached to the frame member 1 by means of the pin 26 and springwasher 27 is the arm 28 of the carrier'29 to which is secured the separator-blade 30. The upturned flange 2 of the presser-foot member 2 has secured to its rear face by means of the fastening screw 31 the shank 32 of the spring-shoe 33 and the lateral flange 34 of the arm 35 carrying the tape-guide 36.

Eigidly secured upon the frame-plate 1 by means of the fastening screws 37 is the bearing plate 38 carrying the fulcrum-stud 39 arranged in alinement with the fulcrumpin 4. Upon this fulcrum-stud is loosely mounted the ratchet-wheel 40 provided with uniform peripheral teeth in permanent operative relation with the pawl 8 and the tubular hub 41 of the disk 42 provided with a coupling pin 43 having a portion projecting from one face and entering the aperture 40 of the ratchet-wheel and a longer portion projecting from the opposite face parallel with the hub 41. Pivotally mounted upon the plate 38 by means of the screw-pin 44 is the detentpawl 45 pressed in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel. 40 by means of the spring 45. J ournaled. loosely upon the hub 41 is the sliding shieldmember 46 having the general form of a disk and recessed in its inner face to receive the disk 42 and provided with an eccentrically disposed aperture 46 entered by the outer portion of the coupling pin 43.

The rim of the shield member 46 is shaped to form the knurled annular rib 47 with the adjacent cylindrical portion 48 of somewhat reduced diameter and conical portion 49 adjoining the same. As represented in Figs. 3 and 5, the annular operative portions 48 and 49 are interrupted by diametrical slot 50 across the inner face of the shield mem. ber 46. To the outer face of the shield member 46 is secured by the screw 51 the yoked spring 52 which yieldingly embraces the hub 41 of the disk 42 in which is provided intermediate the ends the annula groove 41 to receive said spring so as to yieldingly detain the shield member 46 in operative position. Tapped into the outer end of the stud 39 is the screw 53 whose head 54 confines the hub 41 of the disk 42 in position upon the stud and affords a stop to limit the outward movement of the pawlshield member 46.

The shoulder 14 of the swinging lever 13 and the peripheral teeth of the ratchetwheel 40 are disposed within the normal arcuate path of reciprocation of the operative edge 8 of the pawl 8 upon its supporting vibratory lever 5 when the shield member 46 is in extreme retracted position as represented in dotted lines in Fig. 4, wherein it is entirely out of the range of movement of the pawl. When the shield member 46 is shifted into its full line position (Figs. 3 and 4) wherein the opposite members of the spring 52 enter the notch 41 of the hub 41, the outer operative portion of the pawl is maintained elevated so that its path of movement is raised to a position slightly above the shoulder 14 of the lever 13 excepting when the operative edge 8 of the pawl comes into register with the notch 50 when it is permitted to drop sufficiently to engage the shoulder 14 to produce an operative impulse of the ruffling blade. The annular projection or flange 48 49 of the disk or shield-member 46 thus serves, in its operative position, as a shield to produce a period of interruption in the normal operative engagement of the pawl with. the shoulder 14 although continuing to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 40 and to impart to it its uniform step-bystep rotary movements and through the coupling pin 43 corresponding rotary movements to the disk 42 and the shield-member 46. The annular operative portions 48 and 49 are arranged side by side, and by shifting the shield member 46 axially to different positions of adjustment, one or the other of the annular operative portions 48 and 49 may be selectively maintained in operative relation with the pawl.

In the use of the attachment, as represented in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive with the shield-member 46 in retracted position, a ruflling movement may be imparted to the blade 19 for each vibratory movement of the operating lever 5 derived from the reciprocating needle-bar of the sewing machine. By merely shifting the shield-member 46 from retracted position, as represented in dotted lines in Fig. 4, to operative position, as represented in full lines in said figure, the pawl is caused. to reciprocate for a portion of the operative cycle in an arcuate path above the shoulder 14, but to descend for every sixth operative movement of the lever 5 into engagement with the shoulder 14, so as to impart to the rutliing blade an operative movement for every sixth stitch, the ratchet-wheel 40 being represented in the drawing as provided with twelve teeth and thus requiring twelve operative movements of the pawl 8 to produce a complete rotation thereof and a consequent cycle of movement of the pawl-shield member.

The conical portion 49 of the pawl-shield member is in practice of such diameter that the pawl resting upon any portion thereof is maintained above the shoulder 14 of the swinging lever 13; and in Fig. 7 this portion is shown provided with the diametrically arranged notches 50 of less depth than the slot 50, and the hub 11 of the disk 12 is provided with an outer groove 41 to receive the detent-spring 52 in an intermediate position of the shield-member upon said hub. In this figure, the notches 50 and slots 50 are disposed a quadrant apart. In the intermediate position of the shield member 46, the operative edge of the pawl 8 will be caused to descend into operative relation with the shoulder 14 of the lever 13 four times during the rotation of the member 46, thereby effecting a rufiling impulse of the blade 19 once for each three stitches; while in the extreme inner position of the member 46 the pawl will enter only the opposite ends of the slot 50 in the rotation of said member, so as to produce two engagements of the pawl with the shoulder 1e for each rotation, or one rufiie for each six stitches. When the member 46 is retracted from operative relation with the pawl continuous ruffiing is provided for as before described.

In the form of the pawl-shield member represented in Fig. 8, a notch 50 of less depth than the slot 50 is formed adjoining the latter so as to provide for two consecutive rufiling impulses followed by an interval of double the duration thereof, so as to produce two consecutive ruffles for each six stitches.

It is obvious that other variations in the timing of the rufiiing impulses may be produced by the present improvement, and that the number of operative positions of the shield-member and consequent patterns in the ruffiing may be further varied within the scope of the present invention. With the pawl-shield constructed as represented in Figs. 5, 7 and 8, the range of axial shift thereof will determine the pattern of the ruffling to be effected as between consecutive rufiiing and the widest spaced rufiling. It is evident that without the interruptions in its annular operative portion, the shieldmember will be efiective for wholly preventing the operative engagement of the pawl with the shouldered lever so as to entirely suspend the rufliing action of the attachment, or by its retraction will permit ruffling actions for the consecutive operative movements of the operating lever.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. In a sewing machine rufHer, the combination with a ruffiing blade, a member connected therewith and formed with a shoulder, operating means, and a pawl connected with said operating means and deriving therefrom reciprocations of uniform frequency within a normal path of movement embracing said shoulder, of a rotary shieldmember having an operative portion adapted for engagement with said pawl for varying its path of reciprocation and adapted to be shifted axially toward and from said pawl.

2. In a sewing machine rufiler, the combination with a ruflling blade, a member connected therewith and formed with a shoulder, operating means, and a pawl connected with said operating means and deriving therefrom reciprocations of uniform frequency within a normal path of movement embracing said shoulder, of a rotary shieldmember formed with a peripherally interrupted operative portion adapted for engagement with said pawl for varying its path of reciprocation and adapted to be shifted axially toward and from said pawl.

3. In a sewing machine ruffler, the combination with a rufliing blade, a member connected therewith and formed with a shoulder, an operating lever, a ratchet-wheel sustained for movement upon a fixed axis and having teeth adapted to register successively with said shoulder, and a pawl connected with said lever and adapted for engagement with said shoulder and the teeth of said ratchet-wheel, of a shield-member connected to rotate with said ratchet-wheel and formed with a peripherally interrupted operative portion adapted to serve as a rest for said pawl into and out of operative relation with which it is adapted to be shifted.

4:- In a sewing machine ruifler, the combination with a rufiiing blade, a member connected therewith and provided with a shoulder, operating means, and a pawl connected with said operating means and deriving therefrom reciprocations Within a normal path ofmovement embracing said shoulder, of a ratchet-wheel having teeth adapted to register successively with said shoulder and to be operatively engaged by said pawl, a pawl-shield adapted to support the pawl for reciprocation out of its normal path of movement and adjustable into and out of operative relation with said pawl and relatively to said ratchet-wheel, and a coupling between said pawl-shield and ratchet-wheel for eflecting their rotation in unison.

5. In a sewing machine rufHer, the combination with a ruffiing blade, a member connected therewith and formed with a shoulder, an operating lever, and a pawl connected with said operating means and reciprocating within a normal path embrac ing said shoulder, of a pawl-shield member having an operative portion adapted to divert said pawl from operative engagement with said shoulder, and a laterally fixed support on which said shield-member is mounted to be shifted transversely to the path of movement of said lever for control of said pawl.

6. In a sewing machine ruflier, the combination with a rufiling blade, a member connected therewith and formed with a shoulder, an operating lever, a ratchet-wheel having teeth adapted to register successively with said shoulder, and a pawl connected with said lever and adapted for engagement with said shoulder and the teeth of said ratchet-wheel, of a rotary shield-member formed with an operative portion having a plurality of peripheral interruptions of different extent and adapted to serve as a rest for said pawl into and out of operative re lation with which it is adapted to be shifted relatively to said ratchet-wheel.

7. In a sewing machine ruffler, the combination with a rufiing blade, a member connected therewith and formed with a shoulder, an operating lever, a ratchet-wheel hav lng teeth adapted to register successively with said shoulder, and a pawl connected with said lever and adapted for engagement with said shoulder and the teeth of said ratchet-wheel, of a rotary shield-member formed with an operative portion having a plurality of peripheral interruptions of different extent and adapted to serve as a rest for said pawl into and out of operative relation with which it is adapted to be shifted, and means for yieldingly maintaining said shield-member with different ones of said peripheral interruptions in register with the path of reciprocation of said pawl.

8. In a sewing machine rufiier, the combination with a willing blade, a member connected therewith. and formed with a shoulder, and a reciprocating pawl adapted to engage said shoulder, of a rotary shield member adapted to be shifted axially toward and from saidpawl, and having an operative portion adapted for engagement with said pawl for varying its path of reciprocation.

9. In a sewing machine rufller, the combination with a rufliing blade, a member connected therewith and formed with a shoulder, and a reciprocating pawl adapted to engage said shoulder, of a rotary shield member having annular operative portions arranged side by side and adapted for selective engagement with said pawl for con trolling its action on said shoulder.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES STAFFORD.

Witnesses:

HENRY J. MILLER, HENRY A. KORNEMANN, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

